Splice-bar



H. GREER.

sPLIcB BAR.

Patented Dec, Z8, 1886.

(No Model.)

UNITED. STATES PATENT OEEICE.

HOWARD GREER, OF LAKE VIEW, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent lNo. 354,898, dated December 28, 1886.

Application filed .August 16, 1886. Serial No. 211,078. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HOWARD G REER, acitizen ofthe United States, residing at Lake View, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented a new and useful Railroad-Rail Connection or Splice- Bar; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to accompanying drawings, makinga part of this speciiicatiomin which like letters indicatelike parts.

My invention relates to improvements in such splicebars as are produced by the wellknown methods of rolling, particularly such bars as hold the rails together by means of bolts passing through them and the rails. Such splice-bars are largely made of old iron rails, a material which is rapidly disappearing from the market. Bessemer and similarsteels seem to be the coming splice-bar material. The use of Bessemer steel for this purpose has been retarded by its brittleness, which causes the splice-bars to break so easily through the boltholes. l

To obviate this serious defect in splice-bars made of steel and brittle iron is the object of my invention, which I accomplish by the novel channel splice-barillustrated in accompanying Y drawings, in which- Figure l is a/perspective view showing a complete railjoint of two channel angle splicebars bolted to two rails. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a detached angle splicebar differing slightly from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a tlangeless or plain channel splice-bar. Figs. 4 and 5 are cross-sections of the front channel angle splice bar of the rail-joint, Fig. l, taken-through the dotted lines x x and x x', respectively. Figs. 6, 7, S, and 9 are cross-sections of Figs. 2 and 3, taken through the dotted lines x2 x2 x3 x3 of Fig. 2, x* x and m5 x5 of Fig. 3, respectively.

The channels or grooves begin at C, Figs. 1 and 3, which is the middle of the bar lengthwise, and run to each end, broadening upward and downward or diverging from a mere line in the middle of the splice to a broad groove, which extends almost from side to side of the upright parts of the splices at their ends AI and A', Figs. l, 2, and 3, said channels being of uniform depth throughout their length. The depth of the channels and the degree of taper of saine must be regulated and proportioned to the particular bars under treatment.

One-third to one-half the usual thickness of ordinary splice-bars in the part occupied by the bolt-holes will be found a good proportion. The taper will be regulated by the size and position of the bolt-holes.

For some of the narrower lkind of splicebars it may he well to taper one side or edge only of the channels, as shown in Fig. 2.

The channel form of splice-bars admits'of a larger proportion of the material used in their construction being placed above and below the bolt-.holes than any other form, and thereby greatly increases the strength of bars against a breaking strain through the said holes; but this form of splice-bars, used years ago, having grooves of uniform breadth and depth running their entire length, deprived the bars of a large quantity of material in the middle, where the two rails meet, thereby causing them to bend and break at this point, where they have the greatest strains to resist, since they bridge over the gap between the two abutting rails.

Mysystem of making thefchannels broad at the ends of the splice-bars and converging them till their points meet in the middle of the same leaves the bars to which it is applied as strong at the middle as they were before they were grooved, yetl preserves the advantages of the channel form at t-he bolt-holes.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Splice-bars having the channels or grooves A A', Figs. land 3, saidY channels running along the face side of the bars through the part occupied by the bolt-holes, said channels beginning at very narrow grooves in middle of the bars at C and broadening upward and downward toward each end of same, and being of uniform depth for their entire length, substantially as described and set forth. Y

2. Angle splice-bars having the channels or grooves A A', Fig. l, which are full breadth, or nearly so, of the barsat their ends, and converge toward the middle of the sameuntiltheir points nieet at O, said channels being of uniform depth throughout their length and occupying the face side of the bars, substantially as set forth.

Witnesses: Y

G. S. BUTLER, E. E. BUTLER.

ICC 

